Irene
by Pinkmouthedgirl
Summary: From the Invisible Library series by Genevieve Cogman. Irene saves Kai again but this time he feels compelled to give something in return.


It was just like she'd feared, he was there standing over her, cramping her resolve with a chaos so powerful she could feel it humming in the air. She knew the Language was her only hope once again but her mind was cluttered with jumbled imprecise sentences, exactly what she didn't need.

Kai was knocked out on the dusty wooden floor to her right, blood trickling from his temple where the heavy shelf had struck him, but otherwise perfect and unruffled as usual. She couldn't help but remember his talk of the future. She knew she had to be quick.

 **Bricks, fly across the room and hit Alberich.**

Alberich was knocked backwards into the corridor as a barrage of large bricks peppered him one after another before he could muster the words to stop them.

 **Door, close and lock. Bookcases slide and bar the door.**

Although this was a world that was more chaos driven than some and thus it was easier to use the Language, those commands still made her head spin.

She had one more command left to issue, however. Irene crossed the room, conscious of Alberich's voice raising again and hoped that there were enough books in this room to summon a passage. The door led to a small anteroom but was thankfully still intact.

 **Open to the Library.**

She could feel the Library resisting her, resisting the invasion of chaos that swirled around Alberich's looming presence but she fought it, persuaded it and finally coaxed the door open. There was now simply the matter of transporting the prostrate dragon back to safety. She didn't think she could use the Language to move him without hurting him further so she grasped him firmly by the wrists and dragged him towards the beckoning Library door managing to bump his head as she went, eliciting a groan.

 _At least he's still alive,_ she thought.

One more heave and they flew back in to the Library landing in a heap on the floor.

On the other side of the room, the bookcases finally bent to Alberich's will and the door burst open giving Irene a final look at his furious jet black eyes.

 **Door, close and lock.**

She breathed a sigh of relief, slumping forward onto Kai, who rested peacefully on her lap. She brushed the hair back from his forehead and calmly contemplated what do with an unconscious assistant and the knowledge that Alberich had survived the inferno.

Kai's face was as beautiful in repose as it was when animated and she found herself absently stroking his cheek and relishing its softness against her fingers. His eyes snapped open then, the fury that she saw in them before he was struck sparked momentarily before he realised where he was.

"It's you."

She smiled and nodded her head.

"What happened, are you ok? Are we safe? Where's Alberich?"

He struggled to sit and she pulled him back to rest against her.

"Be careful, you took a blow to the head, I don't want you collapsing again – you aren't exactly easy to transport."

Kai looked up at her sheepishly but stopped resisting and rested his head back in her lap. Irene felt his forehead, warm but not too hot. The gash on his temple was small despite the blood matting in his hair and probably wouldn't need stitches, much to her relief. He would be fine.

"I feel fine." He protested his eyes returning from their draconic red back to a deep chocolate brown, she always had to struggle not to drown in those eyes.

"Glad to hear it, I wouldn't like to have to tell your family otherwise!"

Irene grinned and Kai playfully slapped her arm, awkwardly because of his position, but the sentiment was still there.

She slowly helped him into a sitting position and supported his back while he came to terms with being upright.

"That's nice." He murmured, she realised then that she was stroking his back. "Don't stop, I like it."

"I was worried about you. It was different this time, you were helpless and I couldn't stop him from hurting you, I'm sorry."

Kai slipped his arm around Irene's shoulders and pulled her into a hug.

"I like that you want to protect me and I feel the same way but we each have to realise that we have dangerous jobs and we can't do that all of the time."

Irene's jaw dropped slightly

"Who are you and what have you done with Kai? I thought to protect your _friends_ was instinct among dragons."

"It is, but I've come to realise that I need to allow you to be you. I can't protect you from everything, and you don't need me to."

"I rely on you though and I trust you and that's more important to me than being saved."

Kai's eyes drifted up to hers, holding them for a moment before they slipped to focus on something and nothing over her right shoulder. Irene touched his chin lightly with her finger, pulling his attention back to her, and smiled.

"Although when I need you to fly in and sweep me off my feet..."

Her mouth went dry as he closed the gap between them, pressing his lips against hers. She thought to push him off at first, instinct told her she must, but the clean musky smell of him and the deep rolling draconic thrum of his heartbeat distracted and confused her feelings. Before she knew it she was kissing him back, carefully at first and then with more and more of her passion and urgency. Her hands found their way into his hair as his traced their way up and down her spine. She moaned in the back of her throat at the pleasant warmth of his fingers.

He broke away slowly, kissing her chastely another few times and keeping his eyes on her. She eyed him back, searching for a flicker of disappointment or fear and seeing nothing but her own fierce joy reflected back at her.

"Well if that's what dragons kiss like then maybe I'm in the wrong world!" She joked

"Just a mere kiss." He quipped back

"It gets better?" She asked, blood rising to her cheeks

He smiled knowingly and she nudged him playfully

"Careful your highness, people will talk!"

"Let them."

Kai effortlessly pulled himself to his feet, dragging a flustered Irene with him.

"Can we go somewhere private?" Kai asked

"I just need to write a quick report to Copelia first."

"Such a dedicated librarian."

"I know." She touched him on the arm. "She needs to know he's still alive."

"Of course, Alberich, yes of course."

Irene smiled, lacing her fingers in with Kai's and led him down the corridor in search of the nearest computer. The first room to her right held a computer, set at the side of a large mahogany desk and with two conveniently comfortable chairs underneath.

 _Thank you,_ she thought.

"How do you think he survived it?" Kai asked, sitting down beside her

"Alberich? Well he has become corrupted with chaos itself so I guess anything is possible for him. I wouldn't like to think what he did to escape that world."

Irene's fingers were flying impatiently over the keys giving the correct information but making sure to hold back anything that might lead Copelia to suspect that any rules had been broken. She pressed send and quickly checked her emails for urgent assignments but nothing new had been sent.

Her parents were on a research trip at the moment so there were no messages from them. There was nothing left to keep her from the young dragon at her side.

"We should clean up your head."

"Oh, that, it's fine, really." He shrugged

"No, if we go back to my quarters we can clean it up. I wouldn't want it getting infected."

"If you insist."

They piled into a traverse and as Irene spoke the address, Kai wrapped his arms around her.

"For safety." He said

"Of course." She smiled in the dim light as the doors closed and the traverse lurched away into nothingness. Irene found herself flung against him and for once she didn't resist. Resting her head back against his shoulders she felt a warm sensation spread through her body from her stomach, up into her cheeks and trickling into her fingers and toes. It had been way too long.

Kai allowed his head to drop against hers for a moment before they were both flung to the floor as the traverse abruptly halted.

Irene jumped to her feet and helped him up.

"You never get used to it I'm afraid." She said.

Kai followed her into the hallway, his hand pressed lightly against her lower back and waited patiently as she opened the door to her Library appointed living quarters. She would never think of it as home, she was never there frequently enough but it was where she kept things, where she could rest between assignments and where any post was sent.

She dropped her bag on the hall stand and hung up her coat and hat, gesturing that Kai do the same.

"Hopefully I've got some antiseptic…" She muttered, heading into the small bathroom, appearing shortly after with a first aid kit and leading Kai into the cluttered sitting room.

"It's not a bad cut, but there was so much blood. Does that hurt?" She asked as she cleaned the wound.

"A little, it's fine."

"There, I think that will do it." She stroked the hair back from his face.

Kai slipped his arms round her again puling her towards him.

"I said you would enjoy a night with me."

"You did."

"You're tempted."

"I am."

"But?"

"I'm your mentor, I would be…"

"Abusing your position?"

"Yes."

"From where I am, it seems that it's actually the other way round!"

Irene smiled. She was finding it so hard to resist him, to the point that she was starting to forget why she should be resisting him in the first place. The Library had her energies, she loved her work, she loved her life but sometimes she still felt lonely. Sometimes she wanted someone to hold at night, to speak to in the dark, to smile at in the morning. She didn't even know whether this was what he was offering her, was he offering himself or just a night with him. One night and then a return to feigned normality? She had to know.

"Would it be just one night?" She blurted out

"If that's what you want."

"And what do you want?"

"You know what I want." He smiled stroking his fingers along her cheek, still holding her body flush against his.

"Do I?"

"You're the only one I want Irene, I think you know that. If I can only have you for one night then I'd have to live with that but I wouldn't turn down the chance. I would just hope that you would want to come back for more." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively and she laughed.

"Quite a speech!"

"Sorry, royalty. We love a good monologue!"

"So a night with you is _that_ good?"

"I've been told…"

"Clearly by people who were in awe of your royal presence."

"Or my masculinity!" He joked, scooping her up into his arms theatrically, making her squeal embarrassingly.

"Kai, put me down!"

He ran with her into the bedroom and plonked her un-ceremonially on the unmade bed, throwing himself down beside her.

"Your wish is my command my lady."

"You're ridiculous!" She snapped, struggling to tamp down her mirth

"Completely." He smiled, reaching for her again and kissing her.

She found herself beneath him, his weight pressing down on her reassuringly as his lips caressed hers, his long hair a dark curtain around her face. She ran her hands down his from his shoulders, tracing his shape and finally settling at the small of his back, pulling him closer. He leaned back to look at her for a moment smiling slightly as he stroked back the tendrils of hair that were wisping at the edges of her face. His eyes was pulling her in again and she almost didn't realise when he rolled her over so she was on top of him. She gasped, laughing, at the sudden movement and he pulled her back down on to him, kissing her fiercely, slipping his tongue into her open mouth.

Irene found herself grasping at his clothes, unbuttoning and unclasping, he was close but she needed him closer. He followed her lead, undoing her blouse and sliding it off her shoulders, slipping his hands down the back of her skirt.

She cast her eyes down at his body, he was now bare to the waist, and she couldn't resist tracing her fingers over the taut muscles of his chest and arms. His skin was creamy brown and perfect, just like she'd imagined but he was slimmer and wirier than she realised.

 _Expensive tailoring_ , she thought.

He rolled them back over again and removed his own trousers and boots. Irene slipped her own skirt down her bare legs and kicked it off with her own boots. This time when he was back on top of her there was only underwear between them and she could feel his excitement against her.

She felt he must have been holding back a little, either to savour the moment or in case she felt it was moving too fast but whatever his reasons she gave a silent thank you to him, putting as much of her feelings into the resulting kisses as she could.

He pulled back from her again, looking purposefully in her eyes as he stroked his fingers gently down her cheeks and jawline. His lips followed the pattern traced by his fingers, kissing a trail down her neck, pausing to nibble and lick at her collar bone, eliciting a moan she couldn't bite back. He hesitated slightly as he slid her undershirt off one shoulder silently asking for permission to continue. She couldn't bear it any longer and slipped it off over her head, baring her breasts to him finally. He flicked his eyes back and forth between her bare chest and her eyes for a few seconds before he resumed his previous trail, kissing his way back down her neck. She moaned loudly when she felt his tongue tracing its way around her nipple.

"Kai!" She gasped.

He looked up at her, his mouth still around her nipple and grinned at her triumphantly. She didn't care, it still felt wonderful and she threaded her fingers in his hair holding it back so she could see his beautiful profile. He moved his hand to cup her other breast, shifting his weight on her in the process and she could feel the heat rising in her cheeks already. The feeling of his mouth and tongue on one nipple and his thumb swirling round and teasing the other was making her hips jerk up involuntarily and she had to bite her lip to stop herself from begging him.

She realised then that he was slowly kissing his way down her body, he paused briefly at the old jagged scar on her stomach, his tongue worrying at the hard tissue. She laughed at the tickling sensation and he moved on rolling his eyes.

"You commoners have no self-control." He grinned and she slapped his shoulder half-heartedly as he ran his tongue along the waistband of her underwear.

She suddenly couldn't remember whether she was wearing her good knickers or one of the faded pairs that nestled at the back of the drawer and were only worn on washing day. He distracted her by removing them. She raised her hips to help him, panting softly, suddenly aware only of a very slick feeling between her legs, his hot breath on her skin and her stark white nakedness.

She felt his mouth on her gently at first and then his wet tongue deftly lapping against her sensitive flesh, sending shivers and tingles all across her body. When he slipped a finger and then a second inside her she grunted in pleasure and couldn't stop herself from thrusting against his pretty face. She thought her aggression would put him off but he forced his mouth in harder, tonguing her furiously as his fingers pumped in and out, angling to find the rough spot that he hoped would drive her wild.

"Kai…I…please!" She pulled at his hair trying to pull his head back up towards hers

"I knew I could make you beg!" He winked and kissed her before she could protest. She could taste herself in his mouth which felt amazingly filthy to her and she felt momentarily very inexperienced.

He hopped off the bed and slid his underwear down slowly and provocatively over his hips until he was standing completely naked and proud in front of her. Her eyes dragged lazily over his body, taking it all in and committing him to memory as if he might melt away from her. He climbed back onto the bed, reaching for her again as she reached for him, tracing her fingers down the perfect light muscles of his stomach and edging her way down, looking up at his face for a reaction. His lips were parted and his eyes were closing as she clasped her hand around him feeling her way along his length and swirling her thumb gently around the tip.

"Mmm Irene."

She smiled at the sound of her name and pulled him to her for a kiss, staring in his eyes and hooking her leg around his waist pulling his body towards hers. He gave into her finally, positioning himself over her before sliding inside her. She whispered his name again, panting at the sensation of him filling her slowly. He pulled her other leg up round him and rolled his hips towards her, slowly at first and then picking up a grinding rhythm he moved in time with their panting breaths.

He never took his eyes off her, either his face hovered above hers or he bent to rest his body on top of her while they kissed, or he pressed his forehead against hers but he was always gazing at her like he wanted to devour her whole. He rolled them back over and gently helped Irene to climb on top of him, holding his hands out to help her balance.

"If you sit down on me with your feet towards me I'll go in deeper." He said

"Like this?"

"Yeah, how's that?"

"Oh."

Her eyes fluttered closed as she rocked slowly up and down on him and he smiled as he watched her enjoying herself. She was picking up speed, rising up and slamming down on him more urgently, breasts bouncing as she threw her head back. He couldn't control himself any longer and began thrusting into her, matching her rhythm. She groaned at the extra force and found herself reaching for down his fingers joined her and they both rubbed circles on her sensitive nub, fingers battling, searching for the perfect spot.

"Kai, I want you on top of me."

She slipped glisteningly off him, her damp skin sticking to his as she moved. She lay down beside him then, opening her legs wide as he lowered himself down on top of her again. She felt pressure and a pleasant sticky pop as he pushed into her again.

"Oh, you're tight." He gasped

"Feels good."

She wrapped her legs around his waist, grinding her hips against his, fighting back against him with as much power as he was giving her. He grunted and leaned back, hooking her legs up over his shoulders and changing his angle inside her.

"Oh Kai, just there." Irene moaned panting his name again and again getting louder at each thrust.

He'd been biting his lip to keep control but her flushed cheeks and her rising moans were making the blood pound in his ears. She was getting wetter and tighter around him and as he felt her clench hard he let go, pulsing into her as she kept clenching in waves around him, taking everything he had.

As he flopped forward stickily onto her she wrapped her arms around him, kissing him and whispering to him soothingly, stroking the back of his neck sleepily.

"Kai?"

"Yes?"

"That was perfect."

"Mmm yeah."


End file.
